Past state parks budgets

Sacramento  With most options exhausted, state parks officials fear this will be the year closed signs go up permanently.

“We’ve made the easy cuts. Now it’s time for the hard cuts,” said Nedra Martinez, a member of the California State Park Rangers Association, who is based in San Diego County.

Gov. Jerry Brown has directed state parks to slash $11 million over the next two years as part of his push to close a gaping $25.4 billion state budget deficit through June 2012. The operating budget for parks in 2010-2011 is $114.1 million.

The governor acknowledges that his $12.5 billion in proposed cuts, whether to parks or the poor, are distasteful. “The money’s just not there,” he said.

Asked if he expects closures, Brown said: “As I said in one of my budget messages many years ago, there are no sacred cows. We want to look at what we have, but I want to be very careful about parks.”

State parks Director Ruth Coleman is expected to deliver her proposals to the governor in the coming days.

Park allies are bracing for padlocks.

“There’s no question in my mind. I don’t know how else the department is going to deal with it,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the nonprofit California State Parks Foundation.

The question remains: which ones?

Parks in San Diego County have already been trimmed. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has minimal hours for its visitor center and one campground is closed. In Old Town, volunteers have stepped in to prevent museums from closing one day a week on a rotating basis. Fewer lifeguards are on duty at popular beaches. And fees are up and staff numbers down at all parks.

“I am expecting in San Diego County there will be parks that will be closed,” Martinez said.

The response from state parks could address a fundamental question: would it make more sense to close some parks and concentrate limited resources on providing the best public experiences at fewer facilities?

State Parks has gone through similar exercises to scale back parks. The latest could run into some skepticism, given that past threats to lock parks never materialized.

Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 and again in 2009 proposed shutting down dozens. Local parks targeted at times included Anza-Borrego, Border Field, Silver Strand, Cuyamaca Rancho, Palomar Mountain and San Pasqual Battlefield.

Schwarzenegger retreated each time. But last year parks only survived by diverting maintenance dollars and going to targeted, partial closures for a few weekdays or one season.

“We understand this governor is moving to find a solution to an unprecedented budget problem. There should be no misconceptions. All the easy options are gone,” said Roy Stearns, a spokesman for state parks.

Voters rejected one option in November — an $18 per car surcharge on vehicle registrations that would have collected about $500 million a year, most of which would go to parks. In return, motorists would be granted free parking at park sites.

In previous years, Republicans have blocked efforts to pay for parks by raising taxes on oil extraction. Schwarzenegger also failed in an attempt allow new drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara and use that lease revenue to fund parks — a move one parks supporter in the Senate called “blackmail.”

Charging school groups admission was another idea floated, but quickly withdrawn following protests.

Shutting parks involves more than just closed signs. State officials are looking at more than visitation and revenue. They’re taking into account historic and cultural values, and the need to protect natural resources. Concession contracts, school use, and geography are factors. Other issues include public safety at beaches should lifeguards be cut and the risk of vandalism at closed parks with minimal caretaker patrols.

“We’re going to get damage,” said Martinez, the San Diego ranger. “It will be expensive to reopen parks.”

Fee increases also may be in the mix, but are not the first option given attendance falls every time parking and camping charges go up.

“We’re at risk of pricing people out of their parks,” Stearns said.

Since 2006-2007, parks has steadily absorbed cuts. In 2006-2007 its operating budget stood at $175.4 million — $61 million more than today’s level of $114.1.

The administration’s proposal will be folded into the overall state budget now being debated in the Legislature.

“We love parks, but we’re going to have a sustainable budget this year,” said Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, who sits on a parks budget oversight committee.

Assemblyman Brian Jones, R-Santee, who sits on a separate budget subcommittee with oversight of parks, said the state should be more aggressive in seeking out partners, from concessionaires to nonprofit groups.

“We have some opportunities here to hopefully keep all, if not all of the parks open,” said Jones, who served on parks committees as a Santee city councilman.

Longtime San Diego parks advocate Rick Vogel said he’s hopeful that the state can secure private partners to keep losses at a minimum.

“Parks may be on life-support, but when push comes to shove a lot of people will do what needs to be done,” said Vogel, a member of the Torrey-Pines Docent Society.

But, despite concentrated campaigns, few companies or nonprofits have stepped up with large-scale plans to rescue parks, leaving state officials to suspect that volunteers and private contributions will not be sufficient to keep the gates unlocked.